Lithuania’s PM calls to cherish each citizen’s freedoms, be tolerant

VILNIUS – With the world on Monday marking the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Lithuania’s Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has called to cherish each citizen’s freedoms, be tolerant and uphold the values of civil society.

“Today, we mark the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. I feel obliged to address you and ask to remember that freedom has been won for each of us, irrespective of nationality, race or sexual orientation. The freedom of each person ends where the freedom of the other begins but respect for other person’s rights cannot reduce the rights of any person, even if that other person is different from what you are,” a press release from the government quoted Simonyte as saying.

She also emphasized that each person “deserves respect and not to be marginalized”.

According to the prime minister, history has many lessons where societies, which “started flirting with segregation and phobias”, no longer knew how to stop and had to pay a cruel price – human lives.

Therefore, even the slightest incitement to hatred had to be stopped, Simonyte said adding that the real threat was hatred, and not the otherness.